Nearly 30% EV owners use solar rooftop: Tata Motors

Tata Motors, India’s largest electric carmaker, on Tuesday said nearly 30% of its electric vehicle (EV) owners are already using solar rooftop systems.

To drive the penetration further, Tata’s EV subsidiary Tata Passenger Electric Mobility and Tata Power Renewable Energy have joined hands to install solar rooftop systems for EV customers.

Fortune India first reported in June that Tata Motors plans to leverage synergies between electric vehicles and rooftop solar to drive EV adoption in up-country towns and cities.

Both companies will promote EVs and solar rooftop systems to their respective customers to drive awareness of the benefits of solutions and increase zero-emissions mobility in India.

Electric vehicles, which have zero tailpipe emissions, and solar power systems, which generate emissions-free electricity, are both key enablers in India’s journey towards net zero emissions. The Government of India has been supporting EVs through multiple initiatives over the last several years, and the recently launched PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana aims to provide subsidised solar rooftop installations to 1 crore households.

Combining solar rooftop systems with EVs de-couples the well-to-wheel emissions of EVs from the grid mix, thus offering a much faster path towards net zero emissions for the transportation sector.

“India’s net zero journey can only be achieved by switching to EVs and renewable power. We see significant synergies between the customers of EVs and solar rooftop systems. Over 90% of EV customers use home charging and nearly 30% of our EV owners are already using Solar Rooftop Systems. Combining forces with Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd., we intend to democratise zero-emissions mobility and decouple EVs from the grid, while reducing running costs for customers,” says Shailesh Chandra, managing director, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles.

While both EVs and solar rooftop systems deliver an independent business case for customers, combining the two solutions delivers several additional benefits to customers, such as: reducing the total cost of ownership for EVs, reducing the electricity bill for EV customers, accelerating the payback for solar rooftop owners who buy an EV, providing 100% emissions free power for EVs, the automaker says.

“Combination of Solar rooftop and EV is a promising, cost-effective, sustainable solution for India and hence naturally complementary. Both solutions appeal to the same set of eco-friendly and value-conscious customers. We are excited to collaborate with Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd. to drive greater adoption of Rooftop Systems and EVs and provide discerning customers with an opportunity to contribute to reducing emissions while saving money,” says Praveer Sinha, CEO and managing director of Tata Power.

Tata Power plans to aggressively promote solar rooftop adoption through its extensive network of over 700 channel partners and retailers to cover every nook and corner of the country. Tata Power has installed 5,600 public chargers across India.